Sunnyside Filmmakers Featured in Queens World Film Festival This Month

Features and short films made by Queens filmmakers will grace the silver screen alongside movies from around the world at the 8th annual Queens World Film Festival in Astoria this month.

The festival will take place from March 15 to 25 at Kaufman Astoria Studios (34-12 36th St.) and the Museum of the Moving Image (36-01 35th Ave). Narratives, documentaries and animated works will be screened and the festival will include a number of special events.

More than 30 of the festival films were made by Queens filmmakers, including three from Sunnyside, nine from Astoria and six from Jackson Heights and Elmhurst.

Seven short films will be featured on the “Queens Corner” theme day, which will take place at 5:30 p.m. on March 25 at the Museum of the Moving Image’s Redstone Theater.

“Queens Corner” kicks off with “Oatmeal,” directed by Alessia Gatti and written by Kew Gardens resident Martha Frances Williams. The film follows a woman who rediscovers the joy in life after reuniting with a childhood friend.

The film will be followed by a showing of “Violetta,” by Jackson Heights director Aaron Lehmann. The short film depicts a voyeuristic young woman who pushes back against a difficult home life.

“Tom and the Domme,” created by Sunnyside filmmaker Keith Marlin, is a dark comedy about intimacy, experimentation and compatability between a long-term couple.

The day’s lineup will also include “Rudy’s Hobby Shop,” a five-minute documentary created by Astoria filmmaker Jason Guzman, which profiles the Astoria store Rudy’s Hobby & Art and its owner, Marvin Cochran.

Sunnyside director Kate Marks will also show a film during the “Queens Corner” block. The short film “Miracle Maker” depicts a 12-year-old vacuum cleaner salesman’s assistant, who travels to the desert to visit a person who can deliver miracles.

Other themed days during the Queens World Film Festival include “LGBTQ Friday,” which starts at 6 p.m. at Kaufman Astoria Studios on March 16.

“Iran Mon Amour,” which will feature three examples of Iranian underground cinema, will take place at the Museum of the Moving Image on March 18 at 1:45 p.m.

“Family Friendly,” which will feature eight PG films appropriate for all ages, will take place on March 24 at 3 p.m. at the Museum of the Moving Image.

Single program tickets for the festival are $15. Festival passes for 10 tickets are $100, or 20 for $200.